Marking Songs That Are Mixed

[hockeyluv]

Hoping that I can explain what I am thinking:

If I have a file that has several songs mixed together, is there a plug-in that will allow me to mark where each new song starts, so that when playing it in a CD player, if I want to jump to the 3rd song in the mix, the CD player will allow me to jump to TRACK 3?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[DJ Egg]

You mean some kind of indexing feature? Hmm . . . could be tricky to implement indexing into in_cdda.dll (assuming we're talking about Audio CD's here, and not mp3 data cd's?).
There might be a 3rd-party plugin, but I'm not personally aware of one.
The nearest you'll get at the mo is to use the Jump-to-time function (Ctrl+J)
but this means you'll need to know the exact starting points of each track.

It also depends on your cd burning software's functions.
I think Nero has an indexing feature (hey, I've got Nero5, but I've never actually needed to use such a feature, so I ain't rightly sure).
But you might be able to burn the track with indexing (so it treats each individual track in the mix as a separate file/track) and record/play them back in gapless mode . . . (like a gapless mix cd)

Anyone else got any ideas/suggestions? (actual "facts" welcome)

[. - .... .- -. ....]

You could try this...

You'll first have to break up the file into the sections that you want as tracks on the CD. To do this, you'll need a mp3 cutting tool. You can doownload MP3Splitter here (instructions for use here), or you can use one of the ther mp3 splitting/editing tools listed below.

N.B. Make sure you make a copy of the original file before you go cutting it up, just in case.

http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?threadid=84835
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?threadid=69521

Once the file has been cut into sections, you can then burn an audio cd. If you are using Nero or Easy CD Creator, start it up, select "Create Audio CD" from the menu, and drag the individual files onto the disk, making sure that hey are arranged in the order that they should play. Burn the CD and it should work.

If you are using any other cd burning software, you are on your own...

[DJ Egg]

Aah! So you reckon this has got nothing really to do with Winamp?
(apart from whether or not it can be done with Winamp?)

Yeah, sure, any mp3splitter type program will do the initial splicing,
but the main key is to get it record & playback in gapless mode . . .

[. - .... .- -. ....]

I honestly don't know, DJEgg

I just saw "when playing it in a CD player" and thats the way I took it up. Could be wrong for all I know - it has been known to happen (a lot)

[hockeyluv]

thank you for helping with my issue!
To clear that confusion, here is a better example:

I have songs in my winamp playlist and i am using a plugin to crossfade them (mix), i also have a plugin to disk write the output. When i burn this mp3 to CD so that I can play in a CD player, it will be one long song (mix). I would like to (and i think index might be the best word for this) have a mark for where each new song (when mixed) begins so that when I skip to track 2 it goes to the 'second' song in the mix.

(i think i said it better this time than the first)

thanks

[. - .... .- -. ....]

ok. then here's a better idea....

Download and install the SqrSoft ACF Disk Writer plugin v1.3. This plugin will crossfade the mp3 files, and also convert the mp3 files to wav files, while maintaining the crossfade effect.

The resulting wav files will fade into one another, and can be written to CD, using the method I highlighted above:

If you are using Nero or Easy CD Creator, start it up, select "Create Audio CD" from the menu, and drag the individual files onto the disk, making sure that yhey are arranged in the order that they should play. Burn the CD and it should work.

The tracks on the audio CD will fade into each other, just as the mp3s did when played through the crossfader on Winamp, but can also be skipped through like a regular CD.

[hockeyluv]

wow, hmmmm....

ethan_h, that is interesting. i did not know that (and maybe because it is Nero) when the wav is burned, it will automatically recognize each song as a new song.
i have the plug-in you suggested and i used that with a mix of songs in winamp, but then i used MusicMatch (8.xx) to burn the wav to CD and the player treated it as 1 whole song. Does Nero burn differently than MM?

[. - .... .- -. ....]

MusicMatch = spawn of satan

To be honest I don't know what the settings of musicmatch are, because I never used the POS. Nero has a demo version that can be downloaded from their homepage. Install it and use it as instructed

[edit]any burning software that I have used to create audio CD's (not just nero) has placed track marks at each file...)

[hockeyluv]

YOU, my friend, have been a tremendous help! Thank you very much for taking out the time to walk me through. I am going to DL Nero and contemplate uninstalling MM! Please, have a great holiday weekend!

[. - .... .- -. ....]

No problem - always a pleasure to help someone that appreciates it.

[babarron]

Sorry to jump in here late, but just wanted to add a word.

Any disc burning program should work for making gapless mix CDs so long as the software has the option to burn without gaps between audio tracks. Some programs (amazingly) force a 2 second gap between tracks. If you have that type of software, destroy it. Spit on it. Let your fat aunt sit on it till it squeals. Then, find anything that provides gapless audio CD burning. Some programs hide this option. Hunt for it in options, disc layout, or, when all else fails, search the help file.

Provided your software will burn gapless, make certan you have checked "Write multiple wave files" in the SqrSoft ACF Disk Writer plugin ("Device" tab). Multiple files means the CD burning software will index each track and thus the start of each of the songs. Don't worry, the wave files flow into one another flawlessly. To see for yourself, play the new wave files back on Winamp before burning the CD (chose your regular NON-crossfading output plugin instead of the disk writer before listening...something I've forgotten).



For those trying this for the first time:

Add wanted tracks to Winamp playlist. Select Disk Writer output plugin and configure as preferred. Hit play. Wait for wave files to be written. Drop written wave files to CD writing software (check the order is correct). Burn CD. Go annoy neighbors with loud, continuous music.

Tips: DO turn off repeat in Winamp when writing the wave files, something else I have forgotten often. Also, be certain you have about 900 MB free on the target HD (see "Device" tab) for writing an 80 minute CD. Also, do play with the crossfade settings. When I make a mix CD, I wanted it obvious that it is mixed. I usually set the minimum crossfade (see "Crossfade" tab) to 2000ms (2s). Also, max out the buffer. The farther ahead the plugin is reading, the better it can calculate where to crossfade.

Lastly, make certain you have "Enable crossfade" checked in the disk writer "Advanced" tab. Otherwise, you're doing nothing but writing the MP3s straight to wave files.

[hockeyluv]

this is one HELPFUL forum. Thanks for making this experience a great one for this newbie!

[hockeyluv]

ok, now that i have installed the SqrSoft disk writer, when i try to configure, the program crashes?

[hockeyluv]

babarron
I have tried what you wrote above and I am still not able to have a true mix when playing the 'wav' on a CD player after I have burned it to CD. Even though (and this is using MusicMatch) I have 'unchecked' the 'Use 2 second gap' between songs. There is still a pause after the song, then when the new song starts I can hear the previous song mixing in with the new one, but it is NOT 'GAPLESS'. I must be doing something wrong. Please help!